Manchester City and Belgium midfielder Kevin De Bruyne maintains they 'tried everything' after suffering a 2-1 loss to Italy in the Euro 2020 quarter-final at the expense of former Blues boss manager Roberto Mancini.
First-half goals from Nicolo Barella and Lorenzo Insigne set Italy on their way to victory, with former Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku scoring from the spot in response for Belgium.
Roberto Martinez's men we unable to find an equaliser against an obstinate Italian side - but De Bruyne insists that was not for want of trying.
Speaking to Belgian radio station RTBF, De Bruyne said: "Some people will be angry. Others disappointed, but in the end, the difference is slight. The supporters saw that we tried, we fought until the very end."
When asked if he could pinpoint the reason Belgium lost, De Bruyne said: “Italy were better than us in the first half.
"In the second half, we created more opportunities. We could have scored a second goal, but we didn’t, and we lost. It’s football.”
Belgium were also knocked out in the quarter-finals at the last edition of the Euros, but De Bruyne believed Friday’s game was different to that one.
He claimed Belgium were “disappointing” on the night, further adding: "We could have scored first and after 2-1. But (Italy) were a top-class team.”
There were questions over De Bruyne's fitness heading into the game with Martinez taking a risk to play him from the start.
After the game De Bruyne elaborated on the situation and explained how he had played 90 minutes through an injury in which he sustained against the last 16 win over Portugal.
“Personally, I can say thanks to the medical team,” he said. “Playing with a torn ligament, and I played 90 minutes, is incredible.”
He also claimed that it wasn't just himself who had an injury further, adding: “There were too many problems in the team (with many injuries) to be at 100 per cent.”
